Identity

Identity(2003)

R
04/25/2003 (US)Mystery, Thriller1h 30m
7.2

"The secret lies within."

Overview

Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.

James Mangold

Director

Michael Cooney

Writer

Where to Watch

Stream

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads

Rent

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home

Buy

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home

Powered by JustWatch

Popularity Trend

Last 30 Days
This chart shows the popularity trend over the past 30 days.

Media

Identity (2003) Official Trailer 1

Identity (2003) Official Trailer 1

Trailer

The Killer Is Revealed

The Killer Is Revealed

Clip

The Shoot Off

The Shoot Off

Clip

Ed Discovers His True Identity

Ed Discovers His True Identity

Clip

The Group Discover The Bodies Have Disappeared

The Group Discover The Bodies Have Disappeared

Clip

Larry Crushes George With His Car

Larry Crushes George With His Car

Clip

Ed Finds Suzanne's Decapitated Head

Ed Finds Suzanne's Decapitated Head

Clip

Social

J
A review by John Chard
7.0

Written on May 3, 2019

His story's so unbelievable, I think it just might be true.

Identity is directed by James Mangold and written by Michael Cooney. It stars John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amada Peet, Clea DuVall, Rebecca De Mornay, Alfred Molina, John Hawkes, John C. McGinley, Jake Busey and Pruitt Taylor Vince. Music is by Alan Silvestri and cinematography by Phedon Papamichael Jr.

Inspired by Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians, Identity pitches 10 characters trapped at a motel who begin getting killed off one by one...

If you are going to do yet another take on Christies superb literary source then at least bring some freshness, so how nice to find that Identity does in fact ironically have its own. Set up is suitably in keeping with murder mystery shenanigans, there’s major flooding and our host of characters are bound to a shabby motel run by a shabby John Hawkes. On the edges of the frame we have another story where multiple killer Malcolm Rivers (the wonderful wobbly eyed P.T. Vince) is under interrogation to test for insanity to stave off his impending execution.

Mangold uses flashbacks to put the various characters at the motel, in how they came to be there. There’s a creative ambitiousness about how Mangold constructs the pic that draws you in, which come the finale will either have you satiated or stupefied. The murder sequences are very well put together, with a couple being well ghoulish, and it’s a very impressive cast of actors working their way through the formulaic but fascinatingly cheat free psychological murk.

It’s not as smart as it thinks it is but this has enough of an absorbing pull, and no little intelligence, to lift it higher than many other Agatha 10 copies. 7/10